Earlier, officers raided a newly built semi-detached house on Schoolside Close, a mile north of Manchester city centre.

Resident Nousha Babaakachel, 40, said a Somali family live at the address, a mother and father of five, in their 40s, who came to live in the street around 12 years ago from the Netherlands.

She said two of the four sons are at university, one works at Manchester Airport and the youngest is back in Somalia. They also have a daughter.

Both parents attend the local Khiza Mosque.

‘Frenzied attack’

At the briefing, Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “I know that the events of last night will have affected many people and caused concern.

“That the incident happened so close to the scene of the terrorist attack on 22 May 2017 makes it even more dreadful.”

Mr Jackson had said that “given how frenzied the attack was” officers had been considering the state of the suspect’s mental health.

“There is wide reporting in the press about what the attacker allegedly said during the incident and because of this we want to be clear, we are treating this as a terrorism investigation,” he said.

He explained officers were “retaining an open mind in relation to the motivation for this attack”.

Police recovered two knives at the scene but do not yet know if both were used.

Image copyrightAFPImage caption The station was shut after the attack and police remain at the scene

Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn both said the victims were in their thoughts, with Mrs May praising the “courageous response” of the emergency services, and Mr Corbyn highlighting their “bravery”.

The Home Secretary Sajid Javid said he wished those injured a “full recovery”.

ACC Sean O’Callaghan, from British Transport Police, said he was “incredibly proud” of the four officers who detained the suspect.

They were “fearless, running towards danger and preventing further harm coming to passengers,” he said.

BBC 5 live producer Sam Clack, who had been at the station at the time, said he saw a man stabbed on a tram platform at the station “feet from me”.

Mr Clack also said he heard the knifeman shouting “Allah” during the attack, along with a slogan criticising Western governments.

Image copyrightAFPImage caption A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder

He added he was “close to jumping on the tracks” as the attacker had a “long kitchen knife”.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said the attacks appeared to be an “isolated incident”.